A gap in the availability of shared branching outlets in Northern and Western Iowa wasnarrowed after four Iowa credit unions began offering the cooperative service.

According to Credit Union Service Network, a shared branchingnetwork that facilitates shared branching access with CO-OP SharedBranching, the $98 million Cedar Falls Community Credit Union, the$68 million North Iowa Community Credit Union and the $23 millionSioux Valley Community Credit Union signed contracts as bothissuers and acquirers. A fourth credit union, the $8 million QuakerOats Credit Union in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, signed a contract as anissuer only.

Issuer credit unions enable their members to participate inshared branching in other credit union shared branch outlets.Acquiring credit unions allow at least one of their branches tobecome a shared branch outlet and accept transactions from othercredit unions' members.